Gatherings of the Harrigan clan, like the one last June to celebrate Mike Harrigan’s graduation from Brother Rice, will have some 90 people turning one home and garden into a summerfest.
You start with the nine brothers and four sisters and all of their children, combine grandparents, grandkids and assorted family friends–and that’s why there are tables and chairs spread all across the driveway.
But this is hallowed ground in Harrigan land. That basketball hoop standing tall above the din is a goal that seems to inspire even the little ones to begin shooting for the stars.
It takes, maybe, a full timeout for the burgers and brats to be gobbled up by youngsters with a more all-consuming craving. Not long after, the basketballs come rolling out–seven are jacked up simultaneously. Shooting a basketball seems to be encoded in the family DNA.
“That’s when some of the uncles start getting mad,” said Tim Harrigan, a 5-foot-8-inch senior guard at Brother Rice who is averaging 10 points per game and knocking down 40 percent of his three-pointers. “Balls are flying everywhere, hitting someone’s dad or someone else’s baby. We usually get the adults to move out of the way.”
Ever since Tom Harrigan, the oldest of Bud Harrigan’s nine boys, played his final season at Brother Rice in 1963-64, there has been a Harrigan in a Crusaders uniform practically every season.
The previous generation’s standout was Mike, now the head golf pro at Medinah, who starred for the Brother Rice “lightweights” in 1966, when the Catholic League still featured a separate league for players 5-9 and under.
This season, Tim’s cousins Brian and Kevin–both juniors–join him on the varsity, while Tim’s younger brother, Matt, is averaging 17 points per game on the sophomore level.
Realizing he was next in line to uphold this tradition, Tim practiced his outside shot five days a week last summer, launching 500 shots per workout.
“No one in this family ever gets tired of shooting,” Tim said with a laugh.
Mike Harrigan preceded Tim, and what he learned at Rice has helped him succeed as a freshman walk-on at Loyola.
But the acknowledged king of the Harrigan kids is Rick, the Catholic League player of the year in 2001-02 who averaged 24 points and made a school-record 115 three-pointers.
In a family of shooters, Rick Harrigan is the top gun.
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“Best shooter we’ve ever had at Brother Rice,” Crusaders coach Pat Richardson said.
In a game against Orr, Rick hit 11 threes and scored 37 points. He had six three-pointers and 25 points in the first half against Schaumburg in the 2002 City-Suburban Showdown, finishing with 37 points but no more threes.
No. 5 Brother Rice faces No. 16 St. Patrick on Saturday in the ninth annual Showdown at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Known as the first family of Brother Rice basketball, the Harrigans have a school official keeping track of their exploits. According to Mike Minervini, the seven Harrigans who played varsity ball since Bob Harrigan finished up in 1997-98 have combined to make nearly 300 three-pointers.
Although Richardson is a virtual guru when it comes to teaching outside shooting, he loves telling the tale of Danny Harrigan’s feisty defense.
“It was the 2000 Eisenhower sectional final, and 6-foot Danny was assigned to guard 6-4 Dwyane Wade,” Richardson said. “He shut Wade down, holding him scoreless in the first half, and we went on to win the sectional title.”
Bob Harrigan started up a neighborhood basketball league last summer at Christ the King parish. Team Harrigan’s starting five: Bob, Rick, Mike, Danny and Tim.
“We won most of our games and led the league in shot attempts,” Tim said.
Sophomore shooting guard Rick Harrigan is patiently waiting his turn at Augustana, backing up Division III All-American senior Drew Carstens, a former star at Downers Grove North. He could move into the starting lineup next season.
“You learn patience in our family because we’ve all had to wait our turn,” Rick said. “All of us cousins are like best friends to each other, and we’ve all grown up wanting to be like the older guys.
“I could never beat my cousin Danny. He always found a way to beat me one-on-one. I would get so mad, but now I understand how that just made me better.”
His younger brother Kevin and cousin Brian are the heirs to the Harrigan legacy. Although neither plays much in varsity games, they are lighting it up on the junior varsity level.
In his last two JV games, Brian has scored 25 and 28 points. At the same time, Kevin scored 33 in one game and had 23 at halftime of the second when he had to leave because of a doctor’s appointment.
Two years ago Richardson walked up to the podium and said: “Welcome to the Brother Rice basketball banquet, otherwise known as the Harrigan family reunion.”
Judging from the Harrigan barbecues, that could be Richardson’s opening one-liner for years to come.